Unleashed: Viral Marketing Workshop
How to create ideas that spread
It’s about creativity.
What is viral marketing?
Content designed to build buzz: you don’t have to spend a ton of money to get placement. It can be really cheap. The cost is in the idea, not the promotion. Other people do your promotion/placement for you.
Why does it work?
The cost is in the idea
The challenge is in coming up with an idea worth talking about.
Viral content creates brand evagelists. You give people a reason to talk about your product. They get a sense of importance. Having them talk about your product for you increases your credibility — it’s not just advertising.
Driven by passions — people are sharing
Pitfalls
Lack of Brand/Growth Control: Sometimes what takes off isn’t what you think will. You have a hard time controlling it once it gets out there “in the wild.” It can go out of control and you need to be prepared and ready to accept that.
Measurement challenges: You need to know what you intend for the viral content to do. Burger King “subservient chicken”. Took some heat from traditional marketers because they didn’t see how it was going to sell more chicken (it didn’t even mention the BK name, and for the first couple of weeks, nobody knew it was BK behind it). But it wasn’t about selling chicken, but awareness. They wanted to get their name in front of college age people who weren’t thinking of BK. As it happened, though, in the end their market share in that age range went up, 9% sales increase each week.
Creating the idea
The flow of conversation
When you look at daily blog posting volume on Technorati and compare it against major news events, you can see spikes and dips that correllate to what’s going on in the world. You can see the things that make people say “I need to get out there and share my thoughts.”
What gets people talking is things that impact them, not just cheaper price or shiny new color.
Tips
Types of campaigns
There’s no set way of doing it. Different ideas will work for different companies/products/etc.
Planting the seeds
So, how do you get the word out?
Number one rule of pitching a blogger: read their blog (and the comments from their readers). You don’t have to read the whole thing all the way back through their archives, but you do need to read enough to be familiar with their topic/style. If you don’t pitch them well, they may well let the world know about it. No pestering, follow pitch guidelines they may have posted, use real language (not PR-jargon, buzzwords, etc.), develop a friendship before you pitch them (follow them on Twitter, comment on their blog, etc.), don’t send out a mass e-mail with no personalization, don’t try to pretend you’re somebody you’re not (be transparent if you make/sell the product — don’t try to pretent you’re just a happy user). It’s a respect issue.
A Practical How-To
Jenn then covered the thought processes behind the video campaign they created for the Small Business Marketing Unleashed conference, showing the detailed steps they went through to brainstorm and develop the idea.
Main things to think about when planning a viral campaign:
Then take an assessment of your available resources, what you can do, what allies you have and what they might be able to do for you, what favors you can call in, etc.
Be sure you understand the costs of the different ideas you’re considering.
This is where having those pre-existing relationships with key influencers comes into play. You need those in place before you launch campaign. SEG was able to get the word out much better/quicker because of their existing relationships.
Learn more about the ways Diane can help improve the performance and profitability of your business web site, or request a no-obligation personal consultation, by visiting www.NineYards.com.
Terrific Article Diane
I couldn’t have summarized Viral Marketing better! This is a briefing that I will site as recommended reading for all of our members.
Pat from ViralMoneyList.com
I like your post very much. You reflected complete Search Engine Marketing, in one Post. I like your way. You know I did the same in complete website, but still your blog is more powerful as it represents much more information. By the way I try to give the same info on.
This is the most concise and easy to understand viral marketing post I ever came across. It’s a gem! Mucho kudos Diane 🙂
Very interesteing. We are learning all the time and have just stuck a toe in the water, so need to learn all I can.
Diane, Great template for what Viral Marketing is and should be. Great job.
Ken Varga
www.kenvarga.com
I am in love with this article….Gr8 article i ever seen.
I’ll do this kind of marketing activity for my clients products.
Thanks to you all for your compliments — the credit goes to Jennifer Laycock for putting on a terrific presentation at the conference!
Excellent recap on the workshop.
Great article.
My main problem is I’m building the Website for my husband’s Wood Work and I don’t have a clue!!!
Not much to say and too many photos!!!
I can’t even find a simple HTML tell-a-friend script to put on the page.
I’m at my wit’s end. If any one want to offer help, it would be greatly appreciated.
Celine
People do tend to distrust ads, but viral marketing can work against you too. People talk about your article, site, or whatever because they become passionate about it, you cant remain neutral in viral marketing, this means that while some may love you, others will hate you, you must be careful that this does not disfavor you because people will tell 3 others about you if they like you, and 11 others if they don’t like you.
Look at this way, in viral marketing you are playing the role of shock jock, you will get tons of attention if done well, but don’t be surprised when someone dedicates a hate group against you, case in point: http://ihateblockbuster.com/
People do tend to distrust ads, but viral marketing can work against you too. People talk about your article, site, or whatever because they become passionate about it, you cant remain neutral in viral marketing, this means that while some may love you, others will hate you, you must be careful that this does not disfavor you because people will tell 3 others about you if they like you, and 11 others if they don’t like you.
Look at this way, in viral marketing you are playing the role of shock jock, you will get tons of attention if done well, but don’t be surprised when someone dedicates a hate group against you, case in point: http://ihateblockbuster.com/
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